Stole Her Heart
by merryfail97
Summary: A modern day Romeo and Juliet
1. You Ready?

"Juliet, do you need any help?" Juliet heard the bright voice call from her bedroom. She walked out of her large bathroom to see her stylist and best friend, Harry sitting on her bed, swinging his feet as he looked at her with a smile as bright as the sun. Juliet couldn't help but smile back, as irritated as she was with having to get ready for this party her father was holding.

"Well Harry, I think you know the answer to that one." Juliet went and sat beside him just as he hopped up off the bed, his chestnut brown hair bouncing lightly as he scurried into her closet to pick out a dress for the evening.

"Which one?" He said, holding out two dresses. She scrunched up her nose in consideration before pointing to the one on her left, "I think I prefer that one."

Harry sighed, "I knew you would say that," and put the more revealing dress back into the closet.

She laughed, "You know I don't like those kinds Harry."

He sighed, shaking his head, "But you would look so good in it!" She shook her head right back at him, coming forward to take the gown that offered slightly more coverage and went into her closet to change.

Juliet came out, wearing the floor length, A line, off the shoulders, blood red gown and Harry smiled brightly at her, "It's beautiful." She stared at the ground uncertainly, shuffling her feet before muttering a small thank you and moving to sit at her vanity so he could fix her hair and make-up.

Harry had been Juliet's stylist for the past five years, as well as her childhood friend. When she turned 15 her parents insisted that she have a stylist so she didn't go around embarrassing them and she had agreed, as long as it could be her best friend. Harry had been happy to accept and lived with her and her parents at her home, acting almost like a brother to her as well as helping her with her public appearance.

Harry ran his hands through her hair, humming quietly to himself as he pondered how to style it for the night. "Do you think Pearce is going to be there?" She asked, already knowing the answer. Pearce was another childhood friend, but recently their parents had been dropping hints that they thought the two should be a couple. Pearce was great, but the two of them were more like siblings than anything else. Harry chuckled, "Yeah, probably. Why?"

Juliet sighed, "I just don't want us to be cornered by our parents again."

He ended up curling her hair and pinning a twist of it back off-centered, letting most of it fall across her shoulders. She watched his naturally beautiful face as he lightly applied her make-up, claiming all the while that she didn't need very much.

There was a knock at the door and he jumped, turning to look at it, giving her a clear view of his profile. "One second," he called, turning back and dabbing at her bottom lip for a moment more before hurrying over to the door and throwing it open. "Oh, Tyler, we were almost done getting ready," Harry gestured vaguely behind him and Juliet saw her fiercely protective cousin's tall form peer into her room.

"Hi Ty, is everything okay?" She asked, standing and moving towards the door. Tyler gave her a bright grin, his oh so endearing dimples showing up on his cheeks, "Everything's fine Jules, your mom just wanted me to see when you two would be coming down."

"Well, like I said, we're just finishing up," Harry said, sounding slightly impatient. Tyler narrowed his eyes at the shorter brunette in front of him. "Alright, I'll see you down there then." He spun on his heel and walked back down the hallway.

Harry turned back to Juliet, "Ok, let me see." She straightened her back and lifted her chin, turning around so he could see his work. He clapped happily, his sunshine smile back in its rightful place, "You're so pretty," he squealed before picking up the black lace mask from the duvet and moving to carefully fasten it behind her head. "You don't have to keep this on the whole time, just for a bit in the beginning, cause it's supposed to be a masquerade or whatever."

He looked at her one last time, and she could see tears shining in his eyes. Juliet laughed and went to give him a hug, "Harry, you do this every time."

He laughed too, wiping his eyes, "I'm sorry, it just seems like you've grown up so fast." She shook her head, "You're only a few years older than me you know."

He wrinkled his nose at her, "Whatever. Ok, I'm gonna go get ready. Do you want to go down and I'll see you later?"

She shook her head again, "I'll just go down with you if that's ok."

He smiled and nodded at her, "Of course, I'll only be a minute." He left and she sat down on her bed.

In a moment he was back, "You ready?"

Juliet nodded sullenly, "Yeah, let's just go." The two of them made their way downstairs, hearing the crowd far before seeing them.

Juliet sighed heavily as she stepped into the oversized ballroom, her arm resting lightly on Harry's. This was going to be such a drag, she thought to herself. What she didn't know, was that everything she thought she knew was about to change.


	2. Gatecrashers

"We're really going to go to the Capulet's party? Is that really the best idea?" Ben looked at Romeo in concern.

A few paces behind them they heard Mark laugh, "Don't worry so much Ben, it's just a bit of fun. Right Romeo?" The short blond slapped the taller young man's shoulder encouragingly.

Despite the reassuring words, Ben still looked worried, "But…" he said halfheartedly. Romeo turned his smile onto the brown haired boy walking next to him, "Look, no one will know it's us. It's a masquerade, remember? Like Mark said, we won't be there for long. I really just want to see if we can get in." he faced forward again, the side of his lip refusing to stop being tugged up into a smirk.

Ben looked at the ground and muttered under his breath, "Yeah, plus you think Rose might be there." Romeo felt his cheeks redden but refused to acknowledge what his best friend had said. He was right of course. This party was a big deal, lots of people were going to be there, so why wouldn't Rose? The only reason they hadn't been invited was the bad blood between the Montagues and the Capulets. Romeo didn't even know what it was about, so why should it spoil his chance to go to this party? Sure, they might get beat up or thrown out or any number of things for showing up, but that's what made it fun.

He strode forward confidently, his long legs covering the distance to the large wrought iron gates quickly. He turned back just as Mark pulled out the masks they had picked up for the occasion and handed them to his friends. Ben sighed again, placing the mask on his face and making sure it wasn't going to come off, resigned now that they were here. Mark grinned mischievously, putting on his own mask and shifting eagerly from foot to foot. Romeo finished with the tie on the mask, straightened his jacket and pushed through the gate, leading the way to the mansion in front of them, Mark and a now slightly less reluctant Ben following close behind him.


	3. Who?

There were people everywhere as they made their way into the Capulet's house. No one seemed to think they were out of the ordinary as they moved through the crowds. Romeo felt Ben anxiously grabbing onto his elbow, not wanting to lose him. Romeo reached back and pulled him forward so they were next to each other and watched in amusement as Mark let himself be steered towards the food by the rest of the people.

Ben and Romeo moved along the walls, watching people dance. Romeo craned his neck, trying to see if he might be able to spot Rose. He wasn't having much luck until Ben prodded a finger in his ribs before pointing out Rose across the room, dancing with someone. He grabbed Ben's arm in excitement, "She's here."

Ben scoffed, "Yeah, no kidding," he shook his head at his star struck best friend. "Go ahead, try and get closer if you want, I'll be right behind you."

Romeo nodded, starting to gently make his way in Rose's direction, Ben at his elbow.

Suddenly, Romeo saw a flash of red movement from the corner of his eye as someone came walking down the marble staircase to his left. Temporarily distracted, he turned his attention towards it and saw a girl joining the party on the arm of a handsome young man. Ben ran into Romeo's back as his friend had stop moving forwards, "Jeez Romeo, what the-?" he muttered, irritated. But Romeo wasn't paying attention.

He wasn't entirely sure why he had stopped. It wasn't like she was some striking beauty or anything; in fact, he couldn't see most of her face behind the black lace of her mask. But just as he looked at her, the man beside her whispered something close to her ear, making her throw her head back and laugh. Although he couldn't hear her laughter, Romeo felt his mouth twitch up in a smile as his eyes started to trail her jawline, noticing the shape of her lips and the slight tilt of her head as she reached the bottom of the steps and directed her attention to the ballroom.

Something in his chest felt like it was desperately trying to get out as he watched them. All of a sudden, he desperately wanted to be the young man who was standing next to her, to have made her laugh.

"Romeo," Ben pushed his shoulder, dragging his attention back to the people around him. Romeo looked at his friend, seemingly in a daze, "Hm?" he asked.

Ben grabbed Romeo's arm, pulling him to the side so that they weren't in anyone's way, "What is wrong with you?"

"I don't…" Romeo was directing his gaze over his friends shoulder, trying to see her again.

Ben sighed, "Listen, I'm gonna go get some water, don't go anywhere ok?" Romeo only nodded noncommittally, his eyes still roaming the crowd. Ben shook his head, going to find a drink for his companion.

Romeo chewed on his lip and moved forward again. Where did they go? He saw a flicker of blood red fabric through the crowd and he twisted towards it eagerly. He watched as the young woman and her companion moved onto the dance floor. How was the slight smile on her face so perfect? The flawless cascade of chocolate brown hair gently brushing against her shoulders as she moved made him gulp.

He realized that his mouth was hanging open and closed it with an audible _clop_ , clearing his throat noisily. A few people nearby shot him irritated glances and he ducked his head, glad that there was a mask on his face as he could feel it burning. What was wrong with him? He shook his head, suddenly wondering where Ben had gone.

Ben couldn't find his idiot friend. Had he not told him to stay still? It had been hard enough to try to find the place where he had left him. His tongue darted between his lips as he scanned the crowd of backs in front of him. There he was. Ben grabbed Romeo's shoulder, pulling him back and shoving a glass of water into his hand, "Drink that," he ordered.

Romeo downed the drink quickly before yanking off his mask and fanning himself with it. Ben watched him in concern, "Are you ok?"

Romeo shook his head uncertainly before laughing a little, "Yeah, sorry, I'm fine. It's just hot in here," he licked his lips, shooting a smile at his friend, "Hey maybe you should go find Mark before he drinks too much and really gets us into trouble."

Ben raised an eyebrow. Everyone knew that between the three of them, Mark was the best at holding his liquor. It was blatantly obvious that Romeo wanted to be alone, "Ok. Is this about Rose?"

Romeo looked at him, confused, "Who?"

Ben looked at him in disbelief, "We were literally just stalking her?"

Realization dawned on Romeo's face and he laughed, "Oh right. Yeah, let's just forget about that." His eyes kept peering over his friends shoulder.

Ben stared at him, "Seriously?"

Romeo smiled, showing his teeth, "Yeah, forget it."

Ben turned away in bewilderment, "Ok, I'm going to find Mark. You'll be alright?"

Romeo nodded, the smile not leaving his face.


	4. Him

Juliet laughed as Harry spun her on the dance floor. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. He led her to a chair on the far side of the spacious room to let her rest for a while. "Alright, I'm gonna get something to eat," he said, looking eagerly in the direction of the dining room. Juliet nodded, giving him a small smile. She would be fine on her own for a few minutes.

As Harry walked away she turned her attention to the groups of people milling about. As her eyes wandered, they suddenly locked onto another pair, directly across the room from her. The boy they belonged to, who looked about her age, almost immediately dropped his gaze, as he turned around and disappeared in the throngs of people. Juliet stood up, curious, but she couldn't see him. Whoever it was, he was gone.

Juliet rested against a column, watching the dancers swaying to the music. Then she felt it. Like someone was watching her. Her eyes snapped up and she saw him. His mask was gone, but it was undoubtedly the same person. He was leaning around a few people, staring at her, his mouth slightly ajar.

She tilted her head curiously. What was he looking at? Juliet noticed for the first time that he was cute. She nervously brushed her hair behind her ear. Then he was moving along the edge of the crowd, occasionally glancing at her, as though to make sure she were still there. She unconsciously found herself moving slowly and carefully in the same direction.

He had disappeared again. He couldn't be very far away at this point. She glanced around warily, putting a steadying hand against another marble pillar.

Juliet sighed in frustration. He was gone again. Then she felt herself flush. What was she even doing? This was ridiculous. She turned, shaking her head to herself, feeling her skirt brushing against her legs as she moved.

She kept her eyes on the ground, watching the pairs of feet shuffling around as she made her way in an unknown direction, not entirely sure where she were headed. A pair of feet weren't getting out of the way. She looked up in irritation and her eyes locked onto the same dark brown pair she had first seen a minute ago, but now they were only a few feet away from her.

He was even nicer looking now that he was closer. And then he was smiling at her. Juliet felt her face start to burn and couldn't look away from his mouth. His front teeth made it look almost like a rabbit was grinning at her. His chocolate brown hair was swept off of his forehead. The endearing slope of his nose, his full bottom lip, the shape of his eyes, it was almost indescribable how perfect he was. She knew that not everyone would think so, but from the slight scar on his left temple to the eye-catching piercings in his ears she couldn't find a single flaw.

Juliet just stared, her mouth hanging open like a cod fish. He licked his lips, looking like he was going to try and say something but when his lips moved she couldn't hear him, it was too loud. Juliet's eyes widened questioningly, "I'm sorry?" she said hoarsely, internally grimacing at how rough her voice sounded.

He glanced around, one hand coming up and scratching the back of his neck nervously. He seemed to find what he was looking for and he reached out, gently grasped her wrist, and pulled her away from the crowd and towards the side of the room. Once it was slightly quieter he stopped, quickly dropping her hand and turning towards her, looking uncertain. He cleared his throat quietly, "Hello." He said, looking at her.

"Hi," Juliet breathed, wishing she could think of something more to say.


	5. What Was I Thinking?

He laughed a little at how awkward this all was, and she couldn't help but laugh as well. He wasn't quite looking at her as he spoke, "I'm sorry, I saw you come in and I…" He _really_ didn't know where he was going with this.

She looked up at him and he could see her hands fidgeting with her skirt. Romeo felt a slight smile tugging at his mouth as they both stood there. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

Eventually she cleared her throat, pushing the hair that wasn't actually in her face behind her ear with one hand, the other still gripping and releasing the fabric of her red dress. "Right, I was just…" she stopped talking. Was she staring at him? Romeo pressed his lips together, taking a small step away, his hand coming up and rubbing the back of his neck anxiously.

This was so awkward. _What was I thinking?_ Romeo thought to himself, not being able to look at her at this point. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her start to look around as well.


	6. Panic

Juliet looked around, feeling the awkward in the air but not wanting to leave. She glanced back over her shoulder and saw a familiar pair of people moving through the crowd.

It was an uncomfortable looking Pearce, Mr. Capulet had a firm grip on his arm and appeared to be dragging him around, looking for something. Crap. He could only be looking for her. Juliet faced the young man in front of her, trying to hide her face for a moment while her eyes roved desperately for a hiding place. He watched her flustered face, looking confused. Right behind him was a sort of tapestry against the wall, but he was blocking her path to it.

In a panicked rush, Juliet pushed him behind it, following closely and freezing once they were both hidden. _Damn me and my unplanned idiocy._ She thought to herself. Considering the small space, she was up against his chest and could feel him breathing. He opened his mouth to speak but Juliet quickly clapped a hand over it, bringing her finger up to her lips in the universal sign for _be quiet_.

Juliet could feel his hot breath against the palm of her hand. Was his heartbeat speeding up? She rapidly took her hand away from his mouth, glad that it was rather dark back here as she could feel her face beginning to flush. There wasn't any room to turn around and she awkwardly let her gaze rise up to his face, only to find him looking at her, "What?" she whispered, her voice sounding gravelly.

His tongue ran over his lips as though they were dry and he cleared his throat, not sounding so smooth himself, "You're gorgeous," he muttered, before seeming to realize what he had just said then looked extremely flustered, "I mean, uh…" Juliet felt herself smile, then they were both just staring at each other.

He slowly bent his head forward and her eyes closed of their own accord as his lips brushed against hers for the smallest fraction of a second. Then he had jerked his head back, pushing her slightly away from him with his hands on her shoulders. They both sort of stumbled out from behind the tapestry and she briefly wondered how aflame her face was. He quickly directed his gaze at the ground, hiding his face, "I'm so s-sorry," he stammered, turning and quickly walking away from her.

Juliet stood there, staring at the ground. Did he just kiss her? Had that really just happened? Suddenly she jerked her head up. Where did he go? She didn't even know his name. She looked around quickly but couldn't see him. _Crap._ She started looking around frantically. There has got to be someone here who knows who he is, right?


	7. You Might Want To Put Your Mask Back On

Romeo forced his way through the crowds, his eyes trained on the ground. _What the hell was that?_ He thought desperately, one hand coming up to cover his mouth. His mouth that had just touched someone else's. He didn't think he'd ever felt so uncomfortably warm before.

As soon as he was what he deemed a safe distance away from the girl he was pretty sure he had just kissed, he stopped. His eyes widened in disbelief as he realized he didn't even know her name. His mind was racing, trying to think of a way to find out. He glanced around and spotted the man she had come in with.

Trying not to run across the room, he approached the young man, who couldn't be more than a few years his senior. "Excuse me?" He said uncertainly. The man turned with a questioning glance, "Yes, can I help you?"

Romeo gulped, "Uh, yeah. I was wondering if you could tell me the name of the… uh, the young woman you came in with?"

Harry looked confused, "You mean Juliet? That's Juliet Capulet, why do you ask?"

Romeo floundered for a moment as he learned that she was one of the Capulet's. "Oh, I just… spoke to her and forgot to ask her name." he muttered quickly, "Thank you." He turned to leave but the man put a hand on his arm.

"Wait, what's your name?"

"Romeo Montague," He replied immediately, not really in the best state of mind at that exact moment. He flushed all over again as he realized his mistake a moment too late. _Crap_.

But the man just flashed him a bright smile, "I'm Harry, Juliet's friend. Oh, and if you're a Montague, you might want to uh, put your mask back on." Harry winked at the flustered boy before turning and walking away, determined to find Juliet and tell her what had just happened.


	8. Romeo Montague?

Juliet was turning around, trying to see where he had gone. Suddenly there was a hand gripping her upper arm and she turned to see who had gotten ahold of her. She sighed heavily, as she turned and saw her father and an apologetic looking Pearce standing there, "Jules, I've been looking all over for you. Look, Pearce is here, I thought you might want to say hi to him." He said, giving her a look.

Juliet pressed her lips into a forced smile, "Of course," then turned to the tall man standing a bit behind her father who still looked rather uncomfortable. "Hi Pearce, how are you?"

He smiled, relaxing a bit and pushed a bit of his light blond hair off of his forehead, "I'm good Juliet, and as always it's a pleasure to see you." His perfect bow lips turned up in a smile after he made a face at the back of her dads head. Juliet stifled a laugh, coughing lightly into her hand.

Then Tyler was there, "Hey Jules," he nodded at her, then to Pearce, "Pearce, how are you?" Pearce smiled brightly, "I'm good, thanks Ty. How are you?"

Tyler let out a small huff of air, "Actually I was just coming to speak with my uncle," He turned to Mr. Capulet, "Sir, I'm pretty sure the Montague's youngest son is here with a few of his friends."

Juliet's dad looked slightly surprised, hearing this information, "Where?" he asked, looking around. Tyler lifted his head, scanning the crowd before touching his uncle's shoulder and pointing at a trio of young men across the room, "There, in the blue jackets."

Juliet and Pearce craned their necks to get a look, curious about the intruders. "I can't see," she grumbled, jumping a bit.

"What can't we see?" Juliet turned and saw Harry smiling at her.

"Tyler said he thought the Montague's son was here?" she said uncertainly, not quite sure what his name was now that she thought about it.

Harry raised his eyebrows although the grin never left his face, "Romeo Montague?" he asked.

Juliet saw Tyler nod before she turned to try and see again. Finally, the rather broad man who had been standing in front of her moved and she saw the three figures, talking in a group across the room. She gasped audibly, spinning around so she wasn't facing them anymore. "You said the guys in the blue jackets?" She questioned, sounding panicked. Juliet noticed Pearce looking at her, noticing the panic on her face.

"Yeah, those three there," He said, sounding irritated, "Should I have security remove them?" he directed the question at her father, who was looking thoughtful.

"It doesn't look like they're causing any problems does it?" He shook his head in answer to his own question, "No, I don't want to make a scene. Let them be as long as they don't start anything."

"Alright," Tyler said tightly, turning and walking away, looking bothered but resigned.

Harry pulled on Juliet's elbow, "Jules, would you like to dance?"

She glanced at Pearce and he made a small "shoo" gesture at her, and she grinned at him, "Of course. It was nice to see you Pearce," She said to the tall, blond man.

Pearce winked at her, "You too Juliet."

Then her dad was looking annoyed and Harry was dragging her back to the dance floor. He pulled her closer, putting a hand on her waist. "So speaking of those three," he jerked his head slightly toward the trio that the four of they had been observing, "One of them may or may not have asked me about you."


	9. He's Looking At You, You Know

Juliet's eyes widened, "Oh shit," she muttered, glancing at them herself, "Which one?" she asked, even though she knew which one. Juliet just hoped to high heaven that the one in the middle, the one who had just noticed her and Harry dancing, the one who was now staring at her wasn't about to be called Romeo Montague. It was a one in three chance. But then, Juliet had never seemed to be very lucky.

Harry chuckled, "Watch your mouth," he glanced at the boys again, "That one, without the mask. That's Romeo Montague."

" _Shit,"_ she groaned, letting her head fall against her best friend and just leaving it there.

Now Harry was flat out laughing, "He's looking at you, you know."

As the two of them approached the edge of the dance floor, Juliet grabbed Harry's sleeve, dragging him away from the crowds of people. "Harry, you have to swear not to tell anyone what I'm about to say," she said desperately.

He laughed at her, "What are we, twelve? Come on, you can tell me anything, you know that."

Embarrassed, she related what had happened with Romeo to her closest friend. With every sentence his eyes got wider and after reaching their limit his mouth dropped open. "Are you kidding me?" He said.

Juliet shook her head, looking miserable. Then Harry smiled at her, "Oh my gosh, that is _so_ romantic!" he practically squealed and she quickly clapped her hand over his mouth.

"Would you please keep quiet?" It seemed like she was having to hush everyone today.

Harry giggled, pushing her hand away, "You have to get his phone number." He stated urgently.

"Are you crazy? And risk having my dad find out somehow?" Juliet asked in disbelief, glancing nervously over her shoulder.

Harry thought for a moment, "Ok… listen, _I'm_ going to get his phone number for you." Then he was slipping out of her grip as she frantically tried to stop him, "Harry no!" then he had disappeared in the crowd. Juliet stomped her foot, feeling like a child throwing a tantrum. This really was a complete disaster.


	10. Care To Explain?

"Hey Montague," Romeo froze. Someone knew who he was. Well, so much for the dumb mask thing. He turned around uncertainly, hoping to not be immediately punched in the face, but it was only Harry. He let out a sigh of relief, "Oh hey. Uh, can I help you?"

Harry's eyes glinted with amusement, "Yeah, I need your phone number."

Romeo stared at him for a moment, "My-my phone number?"

Harry laughed loudly, his eyes squinting, "It's not for me. It's for Juliet."

Romeo stared at him in bewilderment, not exactly processing what he had just said, "Wait, really?"

Harry nodded brightly before coming closer and lowering his voice, "Obviously, this has to be done quietly, so I'll give you my number for you to talk to her, ok?"

Still confused, Romeo nodded. At this point his two companions were looking terribly curious, eyeing the newcomer warily. Mark shot Ben a glance, wanting to know if his younger friend knew what was going on. Ben only shrugged.

After they had exchanged numbers, Harry disappeared into the sea of people again and the three gatecrashers were left with only each other. Mark tapped Romeo's shoulder, "Care to explain?"

Romeo gulped, "Uh… not really?"

Mark pursed his lips, thinking for a moment, "Fair enough. Anyway, I don't know about you two, but I've had enough of this party. I've had my free food, now I'm tired." He stated frankly, having to look up slightly at the other two.

Ben twitched his eyebrows at his older friend, not even that surprised that Mark had given up so easily or that he was already set on going home. He watched Romeo take another look around the sizable party hall before nodding resignedly, "Yeah sure we can go. Ben?"

Ben rolled his eyes, "You two don't really understand how parties work, but okay, that's fine." Romeo shoved Ben's shoulder jokingly, making him stumble a bit. Ben laughed, his goofy smile showing for perhaps the first time that evening as he regained his balance and the three of them made their way towards the exit. As it was, Ben was the only one who noticed Romeo, who kept looking over his shoulder, as though trying to see something. Or someone.


End file.
